June 3, 2026
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| ps from ps”Every time I think of you, I thank my God.” – Paul, to the church of the Philippians. But do we? Because I know that I can very easily slip up on showing thankfulness to and for the many things that God has placed into my life, I thought there also my be a chance that you might do that as well. So, for the next few weeks, we’re going to dwell in thankfulness for just a few of the many things that God has blessed us with and I bet that you have/are blessed by the same things! Being thankful physically rewires the brain to lower stress hormones like cortisol, improves sleep, and boosts feel-good neurotransmitters (dopamine/serotonin), leading to higher happiness and lower anxiety. Spiritually, it fosters peace, deepens connections with others, and helps individuals find meaning by focusing on positive outcomes rather than just hardships. So let’s get after it! Today, I remember upcoming celebrations and I thank God for them. Summer is often filled with celebrations. Weddings, birthdays, graduations, summer outdoor parties and more. In WNY, we may just spend more time outside than inside after a long, cold, hard Biegner Winter. (Also, whoever is in charge of Spring this year really overdid the rain aspect of it.). Are we ready to enjoy and be thankful for all the celebrations that summer will bring? Jesus gave us an example of how to approach these celebrations: extend the joy! In one of the first gospel stories John offers, Jesus and his mom are at a wedding. (You can read the whole story HERE). The wine runs out and Jesus’ quickly fixes that problem by whipping up more of the best! Some say the miracle was the water into water part of this story, which may be correct. But the secondary miracle is that Jesus extended the joy for this newly married couple, their families and the community around them. Had the wine fully run out, the party was over. But Jesus saved the life of the celebration, saved the couple from public shame by running out of wine for their guests and kicked on Cool ‘N The Gang so the crew could rock out to “Celebrate” (which you can watch HERE because it just makes me happy). Can we approach all our celebrations the same way? How do we fully live into them? Relax in them? Smile in them? Reconnect with friends and loved ones in them? This summer will be filled with times to experience joy. How can we, like Jesus, extend that joy and celebrate good times, come on! (Cool N The Gang music in my head as I type that) May we look forward to upcoming celebrations, extend the joy they bring, and thank God for them. Amen. Still in One Peace, PS |
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